My debt to you, Belovèd
by Penny Lane 1776
Summary: COMPLETE: This story has been reformatted as a one shot fanfic only, how it ends it the mystery for you to decide upon! She was the peace in a life of war. He was the only one who had ever forced her to love with all her might. What if?


**A/N: Alright so I couldn't resist the temptation to throw in my lot and try my hand at Achilles/Briseis story as they were my favourite couple within this movie....I know there are a million billion plus of these stories, and my idea and concepts are most likely unoriginal, but I thank you despite all that for taking a peek---I know there are lots of choices here. But for your trouble I'll send you a chocolate covered man from TROY of your choice if you review( And if you like this check out my Odysseus fan fic "Troy's Saviour"! I will let you know right now I am completely changing the end of Troy for my own selfish purpose so I can write this story and therefore if you're a purist you're going to hate it, so you might wanna move on! So read, review and enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: If you've read it once you've read it a million times---I don't own the characters of Troy, any I make up I do own, however except for minor characters I'm going with all those great ones from the flick...Thanks Homer for the idea and WB for the inspiration...I am not making any money off of this but I am hoping for reviews!**  
  
_My debt to you, Belovèd,  
  
Is one I cannot pay  
  
In any coin of any realm  
  
On any reckoning day.  
  
Jessie B. Rittenhouse_  
  
**Achille's Remembers**

We all have need for each other, for at least one person all of us, every single one of us, despite even if we refuse to admit such. A proud warrior, a taker of many lives, honored and feared, disposed of with many mortal gifts in his life---Achilles had believed in such---that he truly had no need for anyone. His family was behind him, but he truly didn't believe he needed them as much as they needed him. He was arrogant. He didn't believe he needed a woman's constant love, for women were petty things, who come and go filling his bed when so desired. He had no need for just one woman's love or so he believed. He was cocky.

She---Briseis had been just a prisoner; captured and left to for his enjoyment and pleasures did he wish to take them. But when Agamemnon stole her away from him, something about the willful and sharp tongued priestess had enchanted him. Jealously and hatred seethed through his veins to see that pig of a king hold her in his grasp. Touting about his future plans for this priestess of Apollo, royalty of Troy---a bath and then who knew.

He---Achilles was willing to kill every man in his presence to release that quick lipped girl, but she had refused his use. Claiming his gift of killing was not a gift but yet a curse! She had been taken away, and he had become miserable...angered and hateful towards the king he refused to serve, but instead served Greece willed on by the entrapping well used words of the King of Ithaca, Odysseus. He had promised with a threat to one day stand above Agamemnon's body with his sword pointing down, laughing as the man lay dead. It was a promise he had intended to keep.

Achilles had taken back his prized slave girl the next night, as she was taunted and beaten and threatened to be branded by the soldiers of Agamemnon. One soldier's neck was forever scarred with the brand he had threatened Briseis with---he did not wear it proudly. Achilles had lifted the beaten woman in his arms, her body was so slender, so small, and her wrists were so wretchedly bruised. Her long, tangled curly brown hair fell into her face, covering her beautiful chocolate brown eyes, deep and vast. His own brilliant blue ones seethed with anger and hate at those soldiers who dared touch this woman ever. To even believe they had tried to take her had in his eyes made them worthy of a slow and painful caustic death.

She had clung to his neck on that dark walk back to his tent, she didn't speak nor move. But when he had released her onto the furs made into a bed and tried to clean her wounds he was repaid with brutality then gratitude.

"I'll wash myself!" Her eyes held distrust in him and she did not understand how could live such a life.

"It was what I was born into." Achilles held no other answer for her, no did he desire too, no one had ever questioned his existence nor held such dislike for it before. She touted her gods before him and he cared little for what she offered.

"You see the Gods are actually jealous of us." His voice was strong, masculine and filled with pure seriousness. "We are but mere mortals, we can die at any point, today, tomorrow or fifty years from now, but we will die eventually, it is as sure as the fact the sun will rise tomorrow." Her eyes were wide with disbelief as his disrespect for the gods, what a foolish man.

"How can you believe so naively in those who provide for us?"

"It is easy because it is true." She only nodded, enthralled with anger at him.

"For us we will die, and because of that, your gods especially Apollo are jealous---they must remain upon this earth forever. Yet mere mortals will die. And because of that everything is more beautiful because we're doomed."

He had saved this priestess, had assured her she would never have to fear him, and yet now she treated him with such disrespect. He ate in silence; she touched only a fig and soon slipped into sleep.

Achilles waited a long while before removing his robe and falling asleep on his own pile of furs; only to be awoken what seemed moments later by a gentle moving about in the tent. His eyes stayed closed, but his ears became his sight, and he knew she was about---he knew she wasn't foolish enough to run. He lay still, breathing lightly and heard her come closer to his bed where he lay; the air stirred unceremoniously about him and captured his senses.

The blade was sharp; it was from his knife, he felt her unsteadiness as it wobbled in her grip. She had it positioned pinching the skin lightly, he awoke his eyes and tempted her to do it.

"But are you not afraid to die?"

"We all die priestess. Tonight may be my death if you do it." Her eyes vaguely shifted wearily with fear even though she held the upper hand. He gripped her arms, willing her to push the blade against his throat, but she would not. His kisses stilled her, his body covered hers and the love they made was intense, passionate and life changing. Achilles found he needed this woman, more then he had ever needed anyone in his life.

The end was near after he killed Hector, Briseis would not come to him, she feared him yet again, he longed to hold her in his arms, make love to her, but most of all he longed to tell her how much better his life had become in such a short time.

Briseis was gone now, gone from him, twelve days of mourning he had granted to King Priam. His beautiful girl had gone, the one girl he had loved, the woman he needed, the woman who had changed Achilles the warrior for the better.  
  
**Briseis Remembers**  
  
_They say, when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up.  
_

Oh, Briseis mourned in the garden of the palace of Troy, my soul, my vows to Apollo, I have given them away when I willingly gave myself to Achilles. Yet he completed me, he became what I lacked and I came to love the enemy. Time had moved too quickly since she had been returned to Troy.

She was inconsolable since she had homecoming from the sandy beaches as the enemies' prisoner. Paris had tried, Andromache had tried, and King Priam had tried, those who had once surrounded the priestess had tried. Her spirit was gone, she was broken---they believe it was the death of Hector which had set her off. But no, it was the loss of her true love Achilles, yet he was the only one who would ever make her light return.

Her soul mourned with wretched grief, she prayed her prayers of repentance to Apollo, lit incense and candles and remained in void meditation. She did not leave until the dark night had fallen and the celebrations of the believed day's victory over Troy ended.

Briseis sleep was brief, for the beginning of the end awoke her with terrible shrieks, she jolted out of her bed of finery. The city was doomed, her family was doomed, she must say the last prayers of hope for her people to Apollo she must get to the temple in the garden. No sooner had seen stepped foot out of her bedroom then throngs of people, soldiers no doubt shoved her to the side, and she ran searching for any familiarity. A horse near killed her underfoot, she ran screaming out the only name she could muster;

"ACHILLES!"

She saw the temple, ran quicker, no one caught her, no one took her, he was not here, and it was a foolish hope to think they'd find one another...  
  
**Achilles and Briseis are reunited  
**  
Woe to the gods above, she had not just killed the king, oh but she had. Briseis did not know the strength she had within her. Agamemnon was dead at her feet, his face pooled by his own blood, fallen by her own dagger. Her conscience wasn't present, she felt the hands of the guards on her as she tried to run, screaming, kicking and fighting. Out of breath and terrified she was saved, her saviour was but the one person she would have given her life to see---it was Achilles.

"Oh my love." Her voice warbled and she tumbled into his arms, fear on her face wiped away only to reappear once she spotted Paris, bow in hand, ready to shoot. She felt her voice yell, it made a nose, he did not hear it, the arrow struck Achilles heel. He fell back in pain, jumping up, and ready to fight, to protect his love. He saw it was Paris; he unsheathed his sword and stood, only to receive another arrow well shot into his stomach. Briseis saw him fall and yelled, it did not good, and she ran at Paris, ready to shoot again.

The arrow was shot, but Paris nearly dropped his bow, the arrow did not hit its target. It took a center hit upon his beloved cousin, her right breast hit with sharp deep excruciating pain as it forced its pointed tip through flesh. Briseis fell, the pain was unlike any she had ever known, she fell into the arms which loved her, the held her tight as her cousin shot another arrow towards Achilles.

"Stop!" She cried out as it hit its mark---landing stoutly within Achilles arm, she heard herself scream again and then lost all her strength, the pain become much, much worse, she let Achilles pull her closer and she stared into his captivating blue eyes. Briseis felt her time must be near, the gods would be taking her away, oh how cruel fate could be.

"Briseis get up, we must go Briseis!" Her cousin yelled, but she rolled her head back to see him, and shook her head.

"Oh sweet Achilles, I shall have been reunited with you only to die." He shook his head fiercely and spoke;

_"My debt to you, Belovèd, is one I can not pay, but please Briseis, know this my love, in a lifetime of war you gave me the only peace I knew."  
_

"I will kill you Achilles for all of this!" Paris' raged voice hollered only receiving a just as fierce answer and reply.

"Go Paris now, I will take her with me, she will be safe---go before they find you, your people will need you---GO NOW!" Achilles hollered at him amongst the noises filling in their ears, screams of dying and captured people, lives taken, voices commanding, raping, pillaging, murdering. Troy was finished for and in the moment Achilles would just as soon killed Paris then let him go. But he had found his beloved Briseis and refused to let his arrogance control him, his wounds caused him no pain yet. But he ached with uncertainty as his eyes surveys his love's face. Her eyes were closed, her face wretched with pain, her breathing was so very shallow. Achilles gently laid her on the blood soaked ground, before the statue of Apollo and gently removed the arrow from her chest.

She was not dead, she was not alive, she was in a betwixt state, fighting to live, but yet he feared she give up as by this point dying must be easier for her.  
  
** P.S.-I have used in the first chapter scenes taken from the movie, my dialogue is not dead on, and I have taken some liberty with it, but as I look over it, the first chapter now written I am very happy with its result, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Quote from film "Big Fish" but it just fit so perfect for what I wanted to convey in words!**


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